30 Oct 2004

Westside! The brand new video game 'Grand Theft Auto III San Andreas' was launched today. The character of 'Maccer' is voiced by Shaun William Ryder himself as proved by the stellar castlist. By some bizarre coincidence (or genial marketing skill?) there happens to be a website purporting to be a famous Salfordian / Mancunian called, wait for it, Maccer. And there's a link to it at computerandvideogames.com. None of the other characters in the game, voiced by luminaries such as Ice-T and Samuel L. Jackson, appear to have a similar website. Go figure. Thanks to Moist.

FAC 19 John Dowie/"hard to be an egg" this has taken a long time to get out, but it has been worth it. Factory's first major assault on Radio Two. Secret deely sleeve concept. Of note: Hannett/Hopkins cello effects plus, Easter single tactic. Out late Feb early March.7" 45 rpm

FAC 20 "Too young to know...too wild to care". The film has become a video.. has become a series of surrealistic sketches. Will change again. No date No time.

FAC 21 The badge; April '81. Enamel and chrome "F" as in "fractured. Small. Black or maroon with silver/cream. Possibly. Contact Better badges, Jolly, Portobello Road..... and ask him about bootlegs. He can be embarrassed.

FAC 22A Certain Ratio/"SFlight". Fine. Out now. Don't you feel bad about not buying FAC 5 when you had chance. Label on 22 was wrong due to consistent mind-changing over just what was the single track side. The one with the Bonne engraving IS "Flight". 12" 45 rpm

FAC 23Joy Division/"Love will tear us apart" Available in 7" or 12". Sound quality on double B-side much better on 12". Obviously.

FACT 24 A FACtory Quartet/The Durutti Column, Kevin Hewick, Blurt, the Royal Family and the Poor. Double album.. Bit late; sleeve delays, lots of embossing. Four very different approaches to the idea of saying something. Vini&Kevin may do joint 4-set gigs in New Year. Blurt doing something for FAC BEN next and the Royal Family may get into xxxxxxxxxx. O.K. 2@ 12" 33 rpm

The Beautiful Losers Portfolio will be complete when Part 2 is published and available in February 2005 in conjunction with the exhibit's Opening at the Orange County Museum of Art on February 5th, 2005. Each print measures 16x20 inches and is available individually as well as a complete set. The first 30 [Numbers 1 through 30] of each edition will be offered only as a complete Beautiful Losers Portfolio. The complete Portfolio will include a print by each artist, packaged in a custom box with a signed and numbered Title Page.

Ed TempletonWasted space is... , 2004Handmade silkscreen and pencil on soft white acid free archival paper16 x 20 inchesEdition of 200Numbered and signed by the artist$150Published On The Occasion Of The Exhibit "Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture", 2004

26 Oct 2004

John Peel has died aged 65. He had a heart attack whilst on holiday in Peru with his wife Sheila. His career in broadcasting had spanned a remarkable 40 years. This very sad news has come as a great shock to the world of music. Read the BBC News obituary here.

25 Oct 2004

BBC Manchester has a great interview with Graham Massey to tie into the recent release of the 808 State / New Order acid house remixes. The following extract explains the tracks' origins: "Dating back to 1988, the tunes were never intended for release but were staples of 808 State's early live gigs. 'We used to do them in our set really early on because it was just something that people would recognise,' says Massey. 'It was kind of catering a little bit because the rest of it was so abstract.' The Blue Monday remix was also used as an unofficial theme tune to Jon Da Silva’s legendary Hot night which ran at the Hacienda between June and December 1988 - acid house’s extended summer of love."

Shaun 'n' Tony will be on stage from 7.30–8.30pm, answering questions from the audience and having a general debate about all things music, plus reflecting back on the heady days of the Happy Mondays in their prime, Factory Records, the Hacienda, 24 Four Hour Party People the film and alike. You can send in your questions in advance.

Following on from his opening appearance, Tony Wilson will be spinning his all time Top 20 tunes. He likens the experience to "being your personal iPod for the evening, carefully selecting and programming a series of music into a particular order to make people dance".

FACT 14: The Durutti Column; 12" LP 33 and a third. Instrumental album by (as in composed/played) Vinny Reilly and Gordon Smith guitar. Produced by martin hannett, to be issued in Mid October in sandpaper sleeve plus Flexi disc test card by M.Zero. Confusacritic time.

Joy Division were, as promised, among the nominees for entry into Channel 4's UK Music Hall of Fame on last night's show which featured the Eighties. Amongst the clips shown were the promo for Love Will Tear Us Apart. Unlike other notable Halls of Fame around the world, this one is being voted for by the public at large by text, phone and internet. The other nominees included Guns n' Roses, Beastie Boys, Prince and The Smiths.

16 Oct 2004

Revel in the footage of The Smiths, REM and, especially poignantly, Joy Division in UK Music Hall of Fame [n.b.: Channel 4's website is still talking about the Nineties edition of the show], a new entry in the canon of music nostalgia programmes, which this week inducts acts from the 1980s. Features punditry from Paul Morley and Barney Hoskyns and a viewers' vote.

15 Oct 2004

"The remix - a radical and creative act of musical subversion, or an excuse to ruin a perfectly good song for cash?"

It all depends on who's twiddling the knobs, says Dorian Lynskey in the Guardian Review's entertaining article on the history of the remix to coincide with the imminent release of Depeche Mode's Remixes 81-04.

The paper also compiles its Top Ten Mixes which features New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle (Shep Pettibone Extended Dance mix) ["The go-to guy of the 1980s remix scene (Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, Run-DMC) gave New Order one of their biggest US hits."]

Other choice entries include Paid In Full (Coldcut's Seven Minutes of Madness mix) from 1988 and My Bloody Valentine's Soon (Andrew Weatherall mix) from 1990.

14 Oct 2004

- thedurutticolumn.com should at last get secure payment processing next month, definitely by the end of the year.- the subscription group (which was started to raise funds for the secure site) newsletter (paper copy) is due out late November; the first cd has already been issued. - there may be some Durutti badges made, since they're enjoying an 80s-style revival in the UK.- a new album is due to be recorded soon; as usual there will be signed copies available online when it emerges.- Tempus Fugit sold out its first pressing, but more are on the way.

plus

- there is an advert for The Best Of The Durutti Column in the November issue of UNCUT magazine.

13 Oct 2004

The Big Chill's promotion for the book Crossfade: the Big Chill Anthology continues tonight at the Big Chill Bar where Gonnie Rietveld (ex-Quando Quango and one of the authors of the book) will play some house records (classic old stuff mentioned in the book and lazy jazzy deep house) from 9-12pm. Also, from 6pm, Ally Fogg (aka DJ Enchanted Gordon) will be selecting from his collection of chilled out tunes, in relation to his essay contribution to Crossfade.

12 Oct 2004

There is a new Cabaret Voltaire dvd out called Doublevision Presents; Cabaret Voltaire. This originally appeared with the catalogue number DV 1 on good old-fashioned video cassette (VHS/BETA) back in the mid-Eighties. Although Doublevision didn't strictly have any connection with Factory (it was a communications company founded by Cabaret Voltaire and Paul Smith in 1982) their releases were officially distributed by Of Factory New York, and appeared in their mail-order catalogue, but they were not assigned OFNY catalogue numbers.

11 Oct 2004

Many Factory projects were unfinished or unreleased (more on those to come) but some simply never got off the ground:

Fac 20 A Certain RatioToo Young to Know, Too Wild to Care: A film, never made, which was to feature most of the Factory roster, but mainly A Certain Ratio and The Distractions attempting various forms of terrorism around Manchester, kidnapping Ian Curtis and blowing up Joy Division. (Soundtrack was to be by The Durutti Column). Shareholder's statement: "The film has become a video...has become a series of surrealistic sketches. Will change again. No date No time."

Fac 109 Caroline LavelleUntitled: an unreleased 12" single. Caroline says: "I remember doing the Durutti Column and another few things for Factory and although I did undertake to do some recording under my own name I don't think anything came of it."

Fact 181 Bailey Brothers Mad Fuckers!: possibly the greatest unrealised project rumbled on from 1987 to 1992 and would have been a "youth exploitation" movie. Tony Wilson went to Hollywood to try to raise money for its projected £2.5m budget, an event which itself was Fac 221.

John Metcalfe, in the sleevenotes to his album Scorching Bay, explains the background to its recording:

"Technically the composition involved limiting the amount of thematic material and using it in each track with as little incidental music as possible. Each theme could be transposed and used in part or in its entirety but had to maintain its exact rhythm and pitch intervals without variation. What had been melody in one track could form a bassline or motor rhythm in the next. So the first track contains all new themes; by the last track there is only material that has been used several times over."

On the album, John plays violin, guitar and piano in addition to the usual viola that he plays when he guests for The Durutti Column (whose Best Of album is out today - where are the reviews?).

FAC 11: Exodus or An Exodus; English Black boys; exactly that and it's also the title of the song; black youth anthem on 45 12inch. They come from Hulme/Moss/Range. Recorded at Cargo Rochdale in June; still waiting for Producer, Denis Bovell to mix it down; he's in the Bahamas this week; on holiday. Now he's got a reasonable economy ... will be released....when Denis gets back.... when?

FAC 12: The Distractions; 'Time goes by so slow' 7inch 45rpm B/W Pillow fight. Reminds the management of AAustinTexas 66 but take your choice. 'lyrical, sophisticated, dynamic'(NME)(who's paying this guy). Distractions are Manchester five piece who signed to island records on Sep 18th'79, due to irresistible desire to play the game. This single has sold out its first 4,200 (2,000 labels went down at the Factory..you've got problems) reprint and press under way even now. First release on Sep 1st '79. The boys and ? are evn now preparing to support the Undertones..thank you Asgard, and will be passing everybody's way in late October.

FAC 13: Joy Division;, 'Transmission' bw 'Novelty'. "Dance dance dance dance dance to the radio" but will they. I.E. the radio one game. Out in Mid October, just in time to miss(by days) Joy Divisions country wide tour supporting Buzzcocks . All these supports/crutches/friends of mine etc. 'Novelty' is just that being the first song ever wrote two years ago. 'transmission' was prmiered, showcased even, on BBC)-2's "Something elsse" show on Sep 15th '79. Should Factory choose (that's another illusion) to play the chart game with FAC 13.....negotiations under way even now with big stall owners; J.Lydon;"we employ them..don't they understand". We're not sure they do;; further instalment next month.

9 Oct 2004

Silent Partners rocked Turnmills on Thursday night as they made their long-awaited debut at Get Loaded. It was a top night all round as it was also Dermo's birthday. Their next gig is at Jabez Clegg in Manchester on Sunday 17 October. Shaun Ryder and Terry Hall also stepped up to the turntables.

4 November sees a Factory triumvirate of Tony Wilson, Peter Hook and Shaun Ryder returning to Turnmills along with Clint Boon (ex-Inspiral Carpets).

The history lesson of the Factory Shareholders' Analysis continues where it left off with Fact 10: Joy Division; 'Unknown Pleasures'; 33 and a third LP... this was Joy Division's 4th outing on plastic; history includes, two tracks on FAC 2, two tracks on 'Last night at the Circus' on Virgin and their own 12" 45 (also in 7" in plastic sleeve) called 'Ideal for Living' which contained four tracks. FAC 10 finally stirred the critic's hearts; the reticent foursome were soon loved; release was June '79. "This band has tears in its eyes. Their day is closing in." (NME) Sounds backlash only took two weeks; is this a record. People ask about Joy Division, people like the people this is being churned out for. Ian Curtis is the singer and lyric writer; he's just starting to use a guitar onstage; his dancing style has been patented. Steve Morris plays drums (inc. Synar as on 'Insight and S.L.C.') and doesn't like doing interviews if it means he's going to miss his tea. Peter Hook (Hookey) plays bass, shimmys a bit with a bent back stance and is now driving a 'D' reg Jag mark 10 (£55). He wants to do a musical, like Oklahoma. Bernard Dickins plays guitar; he was a designer and is called Barney. Manager is Rob Gretton. cf FAC 13

7 Oct 2004

Get Loaded at Turnmills tonight features Shaun Ryder, Terry Hall and a live set from Silent Partners (on stage at 9.30pm) plus much more. Doors open at 9pm and it's only 5 quid to get in. Happy Birthday Dermo!

The 'Original Soundtrack and Score' to cult film Donnie Darko [2001] is now available as a 2-CD set and includes Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division along with The Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen, Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears and many others. LWTUA comes towards the end of the film during the party scene. The song also featured in the gameshow-as-life-and-death-contest movie Series 7: The Contenders which came out the same year.

6 Oct 2004

A classic (read 'old') radio documentary on the group Time Out calls "hugely influential electro-pioneers" and it is being dusted down for airing from 11-14 October at 9.30pm as part of the "BBC 6 Music Plays It Again" thread which is aimed at giving you "the chance to listen to the finest BBC documentaries about the bands who have shaped popular and alternative music in the past 40 years."

5 Oct 2004

The former James lead singer who has been steadily touring all year or so it seems, has announced a series of European dates for November. [thanks to oneofthethree.co.uk for info on this and the previous posting]

A limited edition compilation album to be released on both CD and 12" vinyl. The tracks are all covers of Manchester songs by Manchester bands. It was recorded "on stolen studio time at Spirit studio in the heart and soul of Manchester". It is currently available on pre-release from Fopp in Manchester only. There is a launch party on Wednesday 13 October at Mint followed by the official release on 1 November.

Tracklisting

01 Regret (New Order) Earl02 On Time (The Bee Gees) Folks03 Panic (The Smiths) Tricky Nixon04 The Air That I Breathe (The Hollies) Ammo05 Country Song (Happy Mondays) Sam Hammond06 The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get (Morrissey) The Pioneers07 The Light Pours Out Of Me (Magazine) The Obsession08 Money's Too Tight To Mention (Simply Red) Blood Red Bird09 I'm Not In Love (10cc) Escape Pod10 Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division) Hanky Park featuring Peter Hook

Hanky Park are (or were) a Salford band who have been a support act for New Order.

4 Oct 2004

There's a full report of the Manchester District Music Archive Seminar held at Urbis on 21 September now at mdmarchive.co.uk. This includes not only summaries of all the speeches by the panel of Mark Radcliffe, C.P. Lee, Jon Savage, Guy Garvey and Jan Hargreaves, but also the Q&A session afterwards.

1 Oct 2004

Continuation of an occasional serialisation of the Factory Newsletter and Shareholder's Analysis, September 1979:

Fac 6: Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark (sic); 'Electricity' & 'Almost' 7' 45 rpm. Cult hit, discos even. 5,000 in May'79 in black on black thermographed sleeves. Sold out. Record now licensed to Dindisc, Virgin's new label; to engage in the chart game as of Sep 28th '79. Necessity for licensing 'the best example of this to date'(NME) is regretted but the big stall holders seem to fill the square (chart shops) and subletting is an enforced activity. News; OMITD, both of them are about to signa major record contract, who with.... ask Chester Valentino. That's OMITD manager/mixer; he has changed his name. The boys are support on the Tubeway Army tour. Thanks, Gary; huh.

Fac 7: This is it; finished product will be thermographed grey on white onion skin paper, probably finished by 1981, maybe we can sell some.

Fac 8: Factory egg timer; menstrual art, designed by Linder (Secret Public,Ludus, Orgasm Addict montage) Still on drawing board; A four bar Abacus; 7 beads to the row final five, bload soaked lint; looking for a manufacturer. Perhaps on sale in inaccessible places by Christmas.

Fac 9: Factory Flick; 8ml film, 12 minutes. Based on article in City Fun fanzine by Liz Naylor, 'No city fun' Music by Joy Division; FAC 9 also includes All Night Party, a three minute Lelouch/Popeye is erotic 30's poses montage with music by ACR. Plus Red Dress, a cartoon/animation/unlive action 3 minuter to music by Ludus. These films were shown at the Scala Cinema, Tottenham Court Road, London on September 13th '79. A showing at the Manchester Factory is being planned; also shown at Scala was another 8ml film by Malcolm Whitehead (The first three are by Charles Salem all about guess who..JD..includes live footage of JD at the Bowden Vale youth club doing Shadowplay and She's Lost Control. FAC FLIK plans... tentative..include an all speaking film by Mr Whitehead a spy / thriller / Joseph Conrad / suspense piece by Charles Salem featuring an ACR soundtrack.

Fac 9 (cont): Also planned 'In search of the lost chord' by Salem and Naylor. An SF sojourn through the mathematics of western tonal mathematics. Music by M. Hannett (partner and producer of 5,6,2a,2b,10,13,14,Spiral scraaatch etc NB to NB on Fac 7 - 'sell some' - work on Lost Chord is held up for understandable misgivings on the part of Miss Naylor on the question of this all pervading concept of 'product'. She wants to know when we're going to market toilet paper. Good question. Next.

'Five album cover that rocked the world' by Paul Morley in The Independent on Saturday 25 September. Includes at number 2: Joy DivisionUnknown Pleasures which he describes as "Peter Saville vs 100 consecutive pulses from the Pulsar CP1919. It came out of nowhere, belonged to no rock design tradition - when you saw it, you just knew it was special."

In the grey days of late 1970s post-punk Manchester, youth culture was a serious affair: every musical performance was measured mostly by the conviction of its delivery. The term 'New Wave' opened up free vistas where acquired skills could once again be exercised after punk's monochrome blur. It could be applied to anything from a James 'Blood' Ulmer record to the latest Throbbing Gristle release, Magazine to Swell Maps. Move outside that terrain into Sun Ra, Parliament, Frank Sinatra and Martin Denny, and your options were suddenly without limit...

Then came Tony Wilson's Factory Club (at the Russell Club in Hulme) offering an open invitation to experiment that was taken up when Ken Hollings, Howard Walmsley, Eddie Sherwood and a few others decided to make some noise to accompany their 16mm silent epic Biting Tongues. A further performance followed a few weeks later, when Colin Seddon and Graham Massey disbanded their Post Natals project and joined up. The film itself, a flashing series of negative images, became a memory; the name remained.